Featherweight
by Draviel
Summary: On a ghost wolf hunt in western Michigan, Dean, Sam, and Cas work together to solve the case. Dean soon notices that Castiel has been acting differently... Random Destiel fluff. Fluffity fluff. Somewhat in character, but occasionally strays OOC. No SPN spoilers here. Some Sabriel later on. Please try to be gentle with me. This is my first ever fanfiction
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Sorry this is so short! I hope it turned out decent at least. First ever destiel fanfiction. First fanfiction in general, actually. I've written original stories before, but never a fanfiction, where I have to be careful to keep in character. I apologize in advance if it's terrible :) happy reading!_

Working as a hunter, Dean should expect the occasional oddity to cross his path.  
Okay, perhaps not so occasional. Dean and Sam had run into many different spirits and monsters. Dean never seemed very fazed when they came across one monstrosity after another. He considered it normal.  
Recently, he and Sam had been alerted of something happening to the townspeople of Coldwater, Michigan. A strange creature had been wreaking havoc, attacking anyone that dared go out alone at night, near the eastern edge of the town.  
After arriving, they stayed in a motel room that night, looking over the profiles of the missing victims. Bodies were never found. No screams. No struggle. Just a large spot on the ground, covered in the newest victim's blood.  
"Got any relations between the victims?" Dean asked Sam, who was leafing through a pile of papers.  
Sam shook his head.  
"Survivors?" Dean inquired.  
Sam shrugged. "I'll have to look on the computer. Perhaps then I can get some leads on whatever is attacking, as well."  
Dean poured another drink without a word. It was going to be a long night. He headed off to the bathroom to clear his mind.  
Looking into the mirror of the tiny, unkempt bathroom, he let out a frustrated sigh; closing his eyes for a minute to gather himself.  
Opening his eyes again, he jumped as Castiel had appeared behind him. "Cas!" He growled. "Don't do that!"  
Castiel didn't even blink. Dean turned around and found himself uncomfortably close to the angel. He attempted to back away, but the bathroom, as mentioned, was small, and he ended up scooting sideways until he tripped backwards, falling into the bathtub.  
"Fuck!" Dean hissed, attempting to pick himself back up and regain his dignity. Cas' face was tense with amusement at Dean's peril, but simply reached out to pull him up.  
Dean stared at the outstretched hand of his friend as if it belonged to an alien, but Dean begrudgingly let Cas help him up.  
"So what's up Cas? I thought you were busy with all of that angel drama."  
"No." Cas simply remarked.  
Dean didn't mention the lack of elaboration as he simply nodded once.  
"Dean, come here. I think I've found something." Sam called from the other room. Dean tried to move past Castiel and found himself standing much too close again. As usual, Cas wasn't fazed. He simply stared into Dean's eyes, with the trademark "curious cat look" that was unique to the man.  
"Trying to get through here Cas. Mind scooting over a bit or something?" He asked. Cas shifted to one side. The wrong side. They were almost touching now. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Dean hurried out the door quickly, before things turned awkward again.  
"What is it, Sam?" He asked coolly.  
"This website says there is an old legend speaking of a white wolf, the unstoppable killer. Killed sheep and cattle, mostly, until a wolf hunter shot and killed the wolf's mate trying to hit him. The creature turned ferocious and the hunter hid away, fearing the dark, not being able to face it again."  
Dean thought about it. "Why would it target everyone else? Sheer rage?"  
Sam shrugged. "No detail on that, just the story itself." He sighed.  
Just then, Cas decided to throw his opinion in. He had been silent, and was standing just at the edge of Dean's vision, so when he spoke, Dean jumped. "Cas, that's the second time today you've snuck up on me! Get off me will ya?"  
It was too quiet for Dean to be sure, but he thought he heard Cas rumble in amusement; a sound resembling a low purr.  
Sam rolled his eyes. "Stop flirting, you two. This is serious."  
Cas stared at Dean, confused by the remark, and Dean flushed, glaring at Sam. "We aren't flirting." He growled sulkily.  
Sam made a face that blatantly said to Dean; "yeah whatever."  
Dean resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and merely asked "are we going to the town now, or waiting until tomorrow?"  
Sam shook his head, a confused expression on his face. "Tomorrow, obviously. It's too late tonight."  
Dean had completely lost track of time. He read the clock. 9:57. It was that late already?  
"Well, I'm off to bed. See you guys in the morning." Dean called over his shoulder. Laying down in his bed, he let out a soft sigh and drifted off to sleep.  
It wasn't a peaceful sleep, of course. Dean had constant, fitful nightmares about his family. His mother's death. The monsters and spirits him and Sam had come across so far. Dean jolted awake, gasping. He bit his lip hard to keep himself from breaking down over the hellish things he saw in those nightmares.  
Dean suddenly drew his attention to something behind him. A shadow casts over him, blotting out some of the moonlight seeping through the windows. Terrified, Dean turned over slowly, blade in hand. A lone figure was there. Not standing. Sitting on a small, flimsy chair he had dragged into the room.  
Castiel.  
Dean wanted to scold Cas for scaring him like that, but he notices something before he can utter a single whisper.  
Cas is hunched over, resting his weight on his elbows, head in his hands, but his eyes are closed and his head lolls to the side a bit.  
He was watching over Dean.  
He seemed to have fallen asleep while doing so, but he was there nonetheless. Dean's first reaction was shock, but then, as he saw Cas stir sleepily, he felt softer. Sweeter. Cas opened his eyes, catching Dean in the staring act.  
"Did you have a nightmare, Dean?" Cas asked gently.  
Dean hesitated. "I... I'm fine Cas." He assured.  
Cas shook his head. "You're a bad liar Dean," he murmured sleepily. Dean wasn't used to such mortality, where Cas would sleep and eat, walk around with Dean and Sam and even sit through long car rides.  
Dean sighed, almost submissively. Castiel got the hint. But instead of talking, Cas started petting Dean's hair, as if to soothe him back to sleep.  
Dean shied away from the touch, unsure of himself. Cas stopped petting him, but he stayed close to the bed, in case Dean had another nightmare.  
When he finally drifted off again, that night Dean enjoyed one of the most peaceful sleeps he had ever had in a long time.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Dean actually felt great, instead of having to drag his exhausted body out of bed and slog through the day, haunted by the previous night's terrors.  
He should thank Cas, but how? Just walk up to him and say "hey, thanks for watching me sleep last night?"  
No. Dean was sure Cas would understand.  
Rolling out of bed, Dean saw that Cas was gone. Probably for quite a while, seeing that Sam was already up. Dean looked at the almost-empty coffee pot, annoyed.  
"Sam, please tell me you did not drink all of that coffee this morning."  
Sam laughed without an answer.  
Dean rolled his eyes. "You know you turn into a bitch when you crash later, and I have to be the one that puts up with that."  
Sam pulled his infamous bitchface, right on cue.  
"Yeah, like that." Dean said.  
If a pouty bitchface could kill, Dean would be a thousand times dead now. But Sam turned back to his work on their current hunt before Dean could make another snarky comment.  
"We should scope out the place today. See if we can find anything else before we track the thing down."  
Dean looked up. "Thing?" He asked, not remembering the previous night's conversation.  
"The supposed ghost wolf!" Sam replied impatiently. "Hello? That's why we're here?"  
Dean nodded. "Right."  
"For now, though, breakfast calls!"  
"I do not hear a morning meal calling for anyone." A new voice piped up. Castiel.  
Dean turned and saw Cas tilting his head in utter confusion.  
Dean laughed and shook his head. "Never mind, Cas. You joining us?"  
Cas shrugged, taking a few paces closer to Dean and Sam, until he stood by Dean. Dean felt a bit of electricity flow through him as Cas brushed against him lightly. He dismissed the sensation as a static shock. "I do not feel hunger, but perhaps I could join you anyway." He said, matter-of-factly.  
"Right." Sam said simply. "Where do you guys feel like going?"  
Not long later the trio found themselves in a cozy booth at a nice diner. It was late in the morning, but it was still breakfast time, so they decided on that. Cas wanted to sit by Dean, but even if Dean hadn't wanted to he still would have to; since Sam, with a gleam in his eyes, told Dean to do it.  
After ordering their food, the Winchesters discussed the hunt, while Cas listened. He was unable to help much, but he always listened in case he knew something about it.  
After a few minutes of this, a young woman with wavy blonde hair approached, and started talking to Cas. Flirting, really. Castiel sat there without a word. The girl was persistent, though, and kept hitting on the slightly stunned Cas. At some point, he started replying. Dean felt something bitter rise up in him at the sight of how he talked to her. How she liked him and maybe he liked her too. Jealousy? No way. He wasn't jealous of Cas being with someone. Focusing on her. Maybe at some point, loving her.  
Alright, maybe he was being a bit too dramatic...  
Sam cleared his throat, and Dean realized he had been staring at Cas for a while now. Suddenly the girl whipped around and stalked off, leaving a very confused Cas and Dean.  
"What happened?" Dean finally asked.  
Cas shrugged. "I do not feel anything for her."  
"Why did she storm off like that?"  
No response. Sam coughed dramatically.  
"Dean, we really have to get to work."  
Dean nodded, tearing his gaze from Cas' bright blue eyes. As him and Sam discussed the matter at hand, Cas shifted slightly closer to Dean and leaned casually on his elbow as if deep in thought.  
Cas' leg touched Dean's under the table as he leaned over a little; just a bit near their knees, and Dean bit his lip, pausing for a moment.  
"... And perhaps the wolf simply developed a hate for humans. It may not be targeting just a specific group. Just people in its range." Dean remarked, trying not to stutter. He was deep in thought regardless of the slight distraction going on. "We'll only know for sure when we investigate the site where the deaths took place. But I think we're on to something."  
Castiel was smiling at him a little, as Sam looked through more pages. Suddenly Dean felt Cas' hand on his leg, just behind his knee. Dean shuddered slightly at the touch but did not move away. Cas patted Dean's leg, and murmured "good job."  
Dean wasn't sure what to think. Should he be creeped out? Scoot away? Touch Cas too? Questions raced through Dean's mind and he did his best to control them. Dean ended up moving his hand stiffly until it rested on Cas' hand. Cas delicately reached up a bit and entwined his fingers with Dean's.  
Dean's breath caught in his throat. He's confused, Dean thought. He has no idea what he's doing right now. He can't like me... And I can't like him.  
It didn't matter though, because Dean was quite alright with sitting there, holding hands with his friend, listening to his brother ramble, and feeling like he could grow wings and fly.

...

The car ride to the edge of town where the killings occurred was near-silent. Dean was lost in thoughts about Cas. He caught himself, and pushed the thoughts away immediately, forcing the incident at the diner out of his mind.  
After a deep breath, Sam spoke up. "So what was all that about?"  
Dean's head snapped over so he was looking at Sam, then quickly turned back to the road. Before he did, however, he saw Cas look up from the backseat, with equally confused expression. But Dean noticed Cas' eyes were dark, betraying the same storm of emotions Dean was feeling too. It was fleeting, but there nonetheless.  
Dean swallowed painfully. "What do you mean?"  
Sam rolled his eyes. "The chick-flick feelings in the air? You two staring at each other? How Dean was jealous when that girl started talking to you, Cas? Come on guys, just kiss and get it over with!"  
Dean hoped Cas didn't see him blushing.  
Through the front mirror in the car, Dean watched Cas as he tilted his head again. It was adorable when he-  
No. Dean wanted to smash his head into the dashboard. Stop it! Stop thinking like that! Dean yelled at himself inside his head. Cas was not cute. Or at least not in the way that could make Dean... Like guys... Or Cas, for that matter.  
This is going to be a long-ass day, Dean groaned mentally.


	3. Chapter 3

They arrived at their destination not too long after. Even from where Dean stopped the car, the group could see police milling about, looking for the clues that they were too nearsighted to see.  
It would take a hunter to see this kind of evidence.  
Taking Castiel with him, Dean walked up to the cops and ran over the FBI agent routine. Cas fumbled again, but not too badly this time. No upside-down ID badges or "Hello, Earth to Cas!" moments.  
Dean and Cas looked closely at the tiny piece of evidence left by the monster; a patch of bloodied ground. Dean looked closely around the area for anything the police missed. Cas, however, let his bright blue eyes drift in a farther range of ground. To the woods partially surrounding this rural section of town. There was no evidence that anything would be there, but Castiel nudged Dean. "Dean." He hissed. "The woods."  
Dean nodded. The pair stood up and left the scene, thanking the officers for letting them take a look. Once the car was out of sight of the police's watching eyes, they swerved around, stopping in front of the woods.  
Dean was the first to see their next piece of evidence; claw marks on the ground, along with blood trails both old and new. They kept moving, weapons at hand in case the creature showed up. The myth said it lurked until nighttime, but Dean knew they'd better not take chances. Hours of walking and close searching later, and still no more clues. It was getting dark. Luckily Sam had thought of bringing the essential provisions in case this happened.  
Taking the appropriate spirit-warding measures to keep the wolf off them while they rested, Dean was relieved when he was finally finished and could sit down in his tent. Castiel entered quietly, and sat down beside him with a soft sigh.  
A lone wolf howl sounded in the distance. But there was a certain hollow ring to it, and the rolling tones thrashed through the trees and echoed through the hills, bringing chills to Dean's spine. This was no ordinary wolf. They were right about the vengeful wolf's spirit after all.  
Cas shifted closer to Dean. Dean barely remembered Cas was half-mortal, until he started trembling, just a tiny bit, against Dean.  
Checking discreetly for Sam to avoid embarrassing comments later on, Dean pulled Castiel closer to him. Without thinking, Dean began stroking Cas' hair, as Cas had done to him not long ago. As the wolf howled again, Cas shook harder. At this time, Cas did not have the power to kill the creature. No wonder he was scared. There was nothing he could do.  
Cuddling Cas wasn't going to be enough to soothe him from this. Gently, Dean lifted Cas up and pulled him into his lap. Cas squeaked in surprise, but quickly settled down, arms around Dean, nuzzling his neck.  
"You alright Cas?" Dean whispered.  
Castiel, suddenly pulling himself out of his terrified state, tried to regain some of his dignity by straightening up. Dean smiled a bit and simply cradled the smaller man like a baby, not letting Cas give in to pride.  
Cas sighed gently, giving up the attempted "I was totally not scared of the wolf and cuddling you I'm a big tough angel" act.  
He finally spoke. "I'm... I'm fine."  
The pair sat in silence for a few moments, before Cas continued.  
"What did Sam mean by "just kiss already" Dean?"  
Dean felt his heart in his throat, but he pushed it down. "It doesn't matter." Dean remarked coolly.  
Cas sat up. "Yes it does Dean. And what he said about you being jealous, and staring. And how you held my hand. What did it all mean?"  
Dean swallowed hard, not answering. In the blink of an eye Cas had bowled Dean over, and had him pinned down. "Answer me, Dean." Cas growled softly.  
Dean raised his eyebrows. "Or else what?" He taunted daringly.  
"Fuck you Dean." Cas rolled his eyes.  
Dean stiffened. Did Castiel just say fuck?  
That was... Surprisingly sexy.  
Cas growled again, and Dean narrowed his eyes challengingly. But before Dean could protest, Cas' lips were pressed against his. Hard. Dean's eyes widened, and his heart raced.  
It was over far too soon. Dean wondered what the hell just happened. Why did he enjoy it so much?  
Dumbfounded, he looked at Cas. Cas smirked a bit at Desn's stupefied expression following the latest turn of events. "Think about that, Dean." Cas growled lightly.  
"I will never forget..." Dean breathed.


	4. Chapter 4

_Wow this chapter was just a big piece of writer's block_

_i hope you all enjoy though_

_This chapter is probably way out of character but whatever_

_The next chapter should be interesting_

_Enjoy, my lovelies!_

The group was finally heading home after that crazy case. Feeling awkward, Dean had sat in the passenger's side, with Sam in the driver's seat. Cas was stuck by himself in the back, as he moped about, eyes low. He felt like he had made a big mistake with that stupid kiss the other night. He hadn't been thinking. He had thought that Dean felt the same way Cas felt, whatever this feeling was. But unfortunately it didn't seem like that was the case.

Dean, Cas, and Sam had mopped up the wolf issue in Coldwater and were heading back at long last. The beast had been very strong and clever, but all three of the group had come out fine.

Or so they thought.

During the car ride, Dean was slouched over a bit more than usual. Sam was driving this time, and had his eyes on the road. He didn't notice Dean with his hands wrapped around himself, eyes looking straight forward, and mouth set in a tense line.

Castiel looked up from nursing a small scar on his arm and his eyes fell on Dean. He could practically feel the waves of pain coming off of him. Cas looked around quickly. They were nowhere near a town. Shit.

"Sam." Cas said quickly.

"Hmm?"

"Sam stop the car."

"Why?" Sam asked curiously. "Cas, if this is another one of those "I want a snack" moments you can just ask."

"Sam!" Cas barked. "Now, please!"

Sam had never heard such a terrified voice coming from him. Pulling over sharply, he whipped around. "For the love of God Cas, what's wrong?"

Cas pointed to Dean without a word. Sam turned and looked at him.

"Dean?" Sam swallowed, hoping with all of his heart Cas was freaking out over nothing. "Dean are you okay?"

Dean grumbled something about how it was just a scratch and he'd deal with it later, but gave a strained whine halfway through.

That was not good. Not good at all

Sam soon had Dean sprawled out on his back, and he didn't even fight it. Sam pulled away Dean's jacket and shirt while Cas murmured comforting words to Dean, as he was unable to help with it himself thanks to his fading power. Sam took one look at the wound and yelped slightly. "Dean why didn't you do something about this?" He growled. He cleaned it quickly. It wasn't bleeding, for the most part, which was good. But it was a deep wound, and who knows what it could have ruptured.

Dean seemed to be functioning well enough, though, where Sam didn't think that was the case.

Cas had moved over near Sam after Dean had fallen unconscious. He was quite annoying, asking constantly if he was seriously hurt, or if he would get better, or if he was in pain now.

"Cas, quit hovering and go get the medical supplies." Cas paused. "Go!" Sam growled.

As Cas was getting the kit, Dean resurfaced into consciousness.

Taking one look at himself, he managed, weakly, to say "I could swear that scratch was not that damned big." Then, seeing the blood everywhere, he frowned and added "my car better not have blood stains on it."

Even in his worried state Sam managed an eye-roll. Typical Dean.

Castiel gave Sam the rudimentary first-aid kit without a word. Cas retreated to the backseat of the car, safe in the knowledge that Dean was fine. In pain? Yes. But fine nonetheless.

But he knew that a worried, powerless angel hovering over him probably wouldn't help and would only get in Sam's way. Cas drummed his fingers on the car seat distractedly, staring into space.

It seemed like a millennium before Sam finished tending to Dean's wound. Cas cursed himself for not having his powers to help Dean. Even though it wasn't his fault, he felt responsible. He should have been protecting Dean.

Sam leaned back and sighed, cleaning his brother's blood from his hands. They continued driving, once again immensely quiet. Cas would look over at Dean frequently, face knit into a tense frown but eyes bright with worry.

Dean woke after about half an hour. Sam wanted to take him to the hospital to get him healed properly, but Dean refused sharply, insisting that he was fine and it was only a scratch. Sam sighed and relented, but they did stop at a motel, so Dean could lie down. Sam figured they would be here for a few days. Dean was annoyed with that, of course, but didn't protest further when he was helped out of the car and felt a stab of pain through the wound's range.

"Gr- ahh! Not so fast!" Dean yelped.

Sam shook his head. "Told you we should stop."

Dean weakly punched Sam's shoulder. "Shut up."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

"I will drop you."

"No you wouldn't."

"Try me."

Dean walked up a few stairs and gritted his teeth. "On second thought, no thanks. Can I sit down now?"

Sam opened the door after checking in and plunked Dean on a bed. "Yes." He finally answered, flopping down on the other bed. He grabbed his cell phone. "Pizza sound good?" He called over his shoulder. Dean and Cas nodded. As Sam ordered the food, Castiel sat down by Dean. There was a moment of silence before Dean asked "what's wrong?"

Cas bit his lip and quickly made something up. "I feel bad that I wasn't able to heal you. Or protect you. I'm helpless."

Dean sighed tiredly. "It's not your fault. You don't have to blame all of that on yourself. It's okay." He smiled reassuringly at Cas. Cas was silent, staring at the floor. "Is this about last night?" Dean's voice had dropped to a low murmur so Sam wouldn't hear him.

He didn't answer. Dean shifted closer to Cas. "Hey, it's okay."

Cas looked up. "It's not okay. I messed up our friendship." He said simply.

"No, Cas. It's fine, alright? You're fine."

Cas let out a tired murmur in response, dropping his head into his hands.

Without realizing what he was doing, Dean reassuringly nuzzled Cas' neck. Maybe it was the blood loss making him delirious. But that was fine. Awkward feelings could stop by later. For now, all was peaceful.

Cas gingerly wrapped his arms around Dean, trying his hardest not to cause him any pain.

Dean looked up. "Cas?" He murmured sleepily.

"Mrhmm?" Cas mumbled.

Dean leaned forward and kissed him. The smaller man's eyes snapped open in surprise, but soon closed again.

Dean's mind was trying to play this crazy act off as fuzziness in his mind making him silly, but it was painfully obvious what the truth was.

They broke apart, staring into each other's eyes. They were interrupted by a short gasp. A surprised Sam stood there, jaw gaping slightly. Dean made a face at him, grabbed Cas, and kissed him again to make a point. Pulling back, Dean raised his eyebrows challengingly at his brother as Cas held back a laugh.

Sam pretended nothing had happened, although inside he was both surprised and not.

"Er, does anyone want a drink?"


End file.
